Claude Code v2.1.163: Version Pinning, Plugin List, Hook Improvements, and Critical Bug Fixes

Claude Code v2.1.163 ships with several managed settings additions, new commands, and a batch of important bug fixes. Here's what changed.

Managed Settings: Version Pinning

Added requiredMinimumVersion and requiredMaximumVersion managed settings. If the Claude Code version falls outside the allowed range, it refuses to start and directs users to an approved version. Useful for org-wide compliance and ensuring all developers run a controlled version.

New Command: /plugin list

Introduced /plugin list to list installed plugins, with --enabled and --disabled filters. No more digging through config files to see which plugins are active.

Hook Improvement: Additional Context

Stop and SubagentStop hooks can now return hookSpecificOutput.additionalContext to pass feedback to Claude without triggering a hook error. This allows hooks to keep the conversation turn going by supplying extra context.

Skills: Dollar Sign Escaping

Added \$ escape syntax to include a literal $ before a digit in command bodies. Previously, such sequences were interpreted as variable expansion.

MCP Servers: Session ID on Resume

stdio MCP servers now receive the same CLAUDE_CODE_SESSION_ID as hooks/Bash when resuming with --resume.

Bug Fixes

• claude -p hang: Fixed foreground claude -p hanging forever if a backgrounded command never exits. Background shells are now stopped ~5 seconds after the final result once stdin closes.
• Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry + CI: Fixed claude -p failing with ANTHROPIC_API_KEY required on these platforms when CI=true and no Anthropic API key is set.
• Bazel/EDR workflows: Fixed bash command failures where $TMPDIR was incorrectly overridden to /tmp/claude-{uid} for all commands instead of only sandboxed ones (regression in 2.1.154).
• Windows EEXIST: Fixed bash commands failing on Windows with EEXIST: file already exists on the session-env directory when it has the read-only attribute or is inside OneDrive.
• Permission rules timing: Fixed org-managed permission rules not applying for the entire session when the managed settings fetch completed during startup on a fresh config directory.
• Background sessions after update: Fixed background sessions in claude agents losing their running background tasks when reattached after a Claude Code update. Also, background agent sessions now update to a new version in the background, so opening a session after an update no longer waits on a cold restart.
• Terminal/UI glitches: Fixed terminal misalignment and multi-second hang when exiting agent view by pressing Esc; fixed Stop button on background-task chip not clearing when the process was already gone; fixed keyboard input becoming permanently unresponsive after a paste operation whose end marker was dropped.
• Hook condition matching: Fixed hook if: "Bash(...)" conditions firing on every Bash command containing $() or $VAR. The pattern now also matches commands inside subshells and backticks.
• Deny rules with $HOME: Fixed deny rules on home-directory paths (e.g., Read(~/Desktop/**)) not blocking Bash commands that reference the path via $HOME.
• Transcript artifact: Fixed a stray "(no content)" line left in the transcript after closing panel dialogs like /mcp and /plugins.

UI/UX Improvements

• The / menu now has clearer descriptions for built-in commands and skills.
• The subscription-switch suggestion now shows in the startup announcement slot instead of a toast.
• claude agents dispatching from the state-grouped view now starts the session in the directory the agent view was opened from.